American being held in Haiti attended WBU

Published 6:00 pm, Saturday, February 6, 2010

One of the 10 Americans being charged with kidnapping and criminal association in earthquake-ravaged Haiti has ties to Wayland Baptist University.

Paul Thompson, 43, a former youth minister in Amarillo, attended Wayland in the mid-1980s.

Thompson met his wife, Rene Culbreth, at Wayland, and the two married in 1986. Thompson served as a youth minister in Amarillo before moving his family to Idaho in the early 1990s to work as a minister. He now is pastor of Eastside Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho.

He attended Wayland in the mid-80s, said 1987 Wayland graduate David Sparks, who roomed with Thompson for a year at Wayland.

Sparks, who now lives in North Texas, said Thompson studied religion but did not graduate from Wayland.

“He was generous; he was humble,” Sparks said. “Even back then I knew he had a tremendous heart to serve God but also to serve people. Even now to this day that’s still true. I count it an honor to call him a friend.”

Tim Garcia, a 1990 Wayland graduate, also knew Thompson through the university’s television and radio stations, KWLD and WIN-TV, where the two worked. Garcia said Thompson was a quiet guy who was always happy and willing to help out.

“Paul’s probably one of the most grounded guys I know,” Garcia, who lives in Amarillo, said. “For what they charged him with, it’s hard to believe.”

Sparks said it’s important to note that Thompson was not a member of the orphanage group led by Laura Silsby. Thompson was asked to participate in the trip and volunteered to help Haitian orphans, Sparks said.

“Paul would never knowingly commit any criminal activity,” Sparks said.

Thompson is the cousin of Jim Allen, 47, of Amarillo, who also was among those charged in the capital city of Port-au-Prince on Thursday. Thompson’s 19-year-old son, Silas, 19, also is part of the group being held in Haiti.